#32 - L.A. Cunningham - Author, Editor, Comic Book Creator

What It Covers

L.A. Cunningham discusses her transition from novelist to comic book creator, building ASAP Imagination as an indie publisher, self-publishing strategies including distribution and marketing, and creating dark humor content like Sister Grimm and Babies with Rabies.

Key Questions Answered

• •Self-Publishing Distribution: Avoid Amazon exclusivity despite its reach. ASAP Imagination secured placement in Barnes and Noble and Waterstones UK while maintaining IP ownership, using print-on-demand to eliminate inventory costs and basement storage of thousands of unsold books.
• •Artist Collaboration Process: Start with paid trial pages before committing to full projects. For Babies with Rabies, Cunningham paid for one letter illustration first, then adjusted character design and color palette to balance zombie dystopian themes with vibrant, fun children's book aesthetics.
• •Community-Based Marketing: Build organic promotion through creator collectives where members cross-promote at conventions and markets. ASAP Imagination writers carry each other's books to shows and share social media posts, creating word-of-mouth momentum without paid advertising budgets.
• •Fear as Character Motivation: Use primal fears as core character drivers, particularly parental fear of failing to save children. Cunningham's anthology Points of Villainy explores sixteen different fears including claustrophobia, failure, and time-loop scenarios where parents repeatedly cannot rescue their kids.